I'll be taking my Private Pilot checkride this week.

Basically, I'm scared sh*tless. I know I have the skill and knowledge, but it is still nerve wreking.

For the people who have been there: Are there any notorious and obscure oral questions I should know about that are just popped on you on the spot and out of nowhere?

Quoting Jumpseatflyer (Thread starter): Are there any notorious and obscure oral questions I should know about that are just popped on you on the spot and out of nowhere?

Be very wary of an examiner that asks you if you've ever been in a turkish prison or seen a grown man naked.

If they start asking questions such as...

"Sooo, what kinda money are ya prepared to pay to pass this thingy?"

Start running

Or-

"Its company policy that you sign this Life Insurance Cert before we begin, its an admin requirement....????"

All joking aside, best of luck..... let us know how you get on.

Eirjet

[Edited 2006-07-12 08:47:17]

[Edited 2006-07-12 08:47:30]

Quoting Jumpseatflyer (Thread starter): For the people who have been there: Are there any notorious and obscure oral questions I should know about that are just popped on you on the spot and out of nowhere?

Airspace questions!! Know your airspaces. Weight and Balance might come up also. They most likely might ask some preflight inspections questions also. My examiner didn't really have obscure or off the wall questions...she basically just followed the O&P test guide.

Relax and just think of the examiner as a buddy flying along. He/she will just want to see if you are thurough and organized in the cockpit and fly the plane with the outcome never seriously in doubt. They KNOW that you will be nervous and will see past that...if you can relax and do your best.

Good luck!

amazonphil

Do a thorough exterior preflight just in case any "traps" have been placed on the aircraft. i.e taped/blocked pitots etc..

I see you're at Riddle. Doesn't some instructor around there know the examiner pretty well? My instructor received basically all his ratings from my DPE and knew exactly how the ride would go. As it evolved basically the way he said it would, my confidence was increased with each step. In the end, it was easier than I could have ever dreamed. Reading checkride horror stories on the Internet was the least productive thing possible that I did to prepare myself. Far better was to practice until I was within 1/4 PTS on manuevers and knowledge. That way, I had some margin for error on checkride day.

Relax, do the things you know how to do well, and enjoy your ride. Mine was only 90 minutes in the briefing room and .8 hours on the Hobbs!

Quoting Bri2k1 (Reply 5): Mine was only 90 minutes in the briefing room

....Which, I've found, goes by in a flash.




2H4

Quoting Jumpseatflyer (Thread starter): For the people who have been there: Are there any notorious and obscure oral questions I should know about that are just popped on you on the spot and out of nowhere?

When I used to do this sort of thing years ago, I would go with a frame of mind that I am meeting a fellow aviator, not a bookworm.

My advice is to get a good rest before hand, and dont try to B/S something you dont know in the oral. Say you dont know, or look it up. I used to use it as an opportunity for the student to learn.

Talk to others that have recently done the ride with the same examiner, the school should be able to point you in the right direction. This will not only give you a heads up on the oral, also the practical.

And lastly, I did not care if people made mistakes, as long as they displayed good airmanship, e.g. if an approach does not look good, go-around and do it again, this earned more points in my book.

Good luck with you ride, let us know how you get on.

I am not familiar with the DPEs here at Riddle, but just about every one that I have heard about thus far are pretty fair. Always watch out for trick questions, but be confident in your approach into the oral. Keep in mind if you can impress your DPE in the oral, they are usually more lenient during the checkride. But as told above, mistakes happen, especially as a private pilot. The only thing they are looking for is your acknowledgement that it happened and how you would fix it.

My approach to both my rides for my private and instrument, is to pretend that its my instructor just preping me again for the "future" checkride. Keep in mind if you go into a checkride scared, you probably won't do to well. If you are confident (not stupid) in what you know and I am going to guess that you are a good pilot. Why would i say that?? Your instructor sees you as a competent pilot. He/She wouldn't have set you up for your ride if you couldn't pass it. You have the skills and knowledge, know it and be confident. Good luck!!

XJR

Quoting XJRamper (Reply 8): I am not familiar with the DPEs here at Riddle

Can you tell me who it is, just initials or first name will do, and I can maybe give you some info.

Quoting Mikkel777 (Reply 9): Can you tell me who it is, just initials or first name will do, and I can maybe give you some info

I appreciate the info...but you might want to give that info to Jumpseatflyer, not me. I am not a flight student at Riddle, I am in the masters program.

XJR

Quoting Amazonphil (Reply 3): Relax and just think of the examiner as a buddy flying along. He/she will just want to see if you are thorough and organized in the cockpit and fly the plane with the outcome never seriously in doubt. They KNOW that you will be nervous and will see past that...if you can relax and do your best.

Excellent advice! The truth is you've basically already passed your checkride. If not (unless you have a substandard instructor) your CFI would not have signed you off. So basically go into with the attitude that of course you know how to do it. Show your examiner how well you can do it. Oral is the same. Also, on the oral. Just answer the question, talking too much may make it seem like your not exactly sure what you are talking about.

In all my check rides--PPL, biennials, FBO (for rental privileges), and even my commercial drivers license--each of the examiners sought to impart some of their knowledge. Remember they are/were instructors and therefore like to teach also. Take their advice with a "thank you" and absolutely do not argue/disagree with them--even if you do! The oral should be a piece of cake and mine was well under an hour. A very beneficial booklet that my instructor gave me is the "Practical Test Standards" which I had never heard of before and may not be available anymore (there may be something similar online). It was very helpful to identify what I needed to work on toward the end of my training and to know what the examiner might expect me to do. Good luck and enjoy.

I see you go to Riddle, and so do I, but over at PRC (we're better at flight just so you know  )

Quoting Jumpseatflyer (Thread starter): Are there any notorious and obscure oral questions I should know about that are just popped on you on the spot and out of nowhere?

Airspace and WX are the two big ones. Also, know your systems for the C172. You don't have to memorize them exactly, but certainly be able to draw simple block diagrams. For flight planning, be sure you know what every major symbol on a sectional represents, or know where to look them up. I find the examiners love asking questions about MELs and FAR 91.205 and 91.213d, those are big because it defines what riddle operates on.

Quoting XJRamper (Reply 8): I am not familiar with the DPEs here at Riddle

I've had from the easiest, to one of the toughest over here in PRC. I never have failed a checkride, and don't plan on failing one. What surprises me is some friends of mine study 10X more than I do for the checkride, and they still have failed. They blame it on the DPE, but I bet it's because they got too cocky, or too nervous, or what not.

TALK your way through the answers, don't sound like a voice recorder. DO NOT over-elaborate your answers, I did this often, and I almost got a pink slip because of that because I just kept digging myself into a hole. Just do simple, one-liner answers, and you'll be fine, if he wants to hear more, he needs to ask for more. DO NOT cram on the day of the checkride. I never study on the same day as the checkride, I use that day just to "chill" and clear my mind before the event. Think positive, I know it's hard, but just being positive helps me a lot.

Good luck, let us know the outcome   

Oh, I just remembered a huge pet peeve I have. Everybody at Riddle suits up for their checkride, assuming it will convey a more professional image and what not. Well, I think that's major bullshit. I've never dressed up for any of my checkrides, I certainly don't go in there in shorts and flip flops though, but for me jeans or decent cargo pants worked fine. Wear something comfortable, because a suit and tie certainly isn't. Not one examiner has questioned my attire, and I'm willing to bet they appreciate not having to deal with another dude dressed up like a penguin. It provides a more relaxing mood in the briefing room and adds color. Hey, I've never failed a checkride, maybe it's all in the clothes?   

[Edited 2006-07-13 04:23:02]

Quoting Redcordes (Reply 12): "Practical Test Standards" which I had never heard of before and may not be available anymore

The PTS booklet is a required item to bring to the checkride for most DPEs. At the very least, it is the criteria to which you must perform to pass. Clearly the knowledge areas are subjective, but it explcitly states things for the practical test. For example, the outcome of any area of operation must never be seriously in doubt, and (for a Private Pilot certificate) you must maintain assigned altitude +/- 100 feet, assigned heading +/- 10 degrees, and assigned airspeed +/- 10 knots for most maneuvers.